United States

Department of

Agriculture

Agricultural

Marketing

Service

Fruit and

Vegetable

Programs

Processed

Products

Branch



## Effective XXXX XX

, XXXX 

# United States Standards

for Grades of

Frozen OkraThis is the sixth issue of the United States Standards for Grades of Frozen Okra published

in the FEDERAL REGISTER of XXXX XXXX (61 FR 48066) to become effective XXXX

XXXX

. This issue supersedes the fifth issue which has been in effect since October 15,

1996.

Voluntary U.S. grade standards are issued under the authority of the Agricultural

Marketing Act of 1946, which provides for the development of official U.S. grades to

designate different levels of qua lity. These grade standards are available for use by

producers, suppliers, buyers, and consumers. As in the case of other standards for

grades of processed fruits and vegetables, these standards are designed to facilitate

orderly marketing by providing a convenient basis for buying and selling, for establishing

quality control programs, and for determining loan values.

The standards also serve as a basis for the inspection and grading of commodities by the

Federal inspection service, the only activity au thorized to approve the designation of U.S.

grades as referenced in the standards, as provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act of

1946. This service, available as on

- line (in

- plant) or lot inspection and grading of all

processed fruit and vegetable p roducts, is offered to interested parties, upon application,

on a fee

- for

- service basis. The verification of some specific recommendations,

requirements, or tolerances contained in the standards can be accomplished only by the

use of on

- line inspection pr ocedures. In all instances, a grade can be assigned based on

final product factors or characteristics.

In addition to the U.S. grade standards, grading manuals or instructions for inspection of

several processed fruits and vegetables are available upon r equest for a nominal fee.

They are also available on the internet at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/processedinspection

. These manuals or instructions contain detailed interpretations of the grade standards and

provide step

- by

- step procedures for grading the pr oduct.

Grade standards are issued by the Department after careful consideration of all data and

views submitted, and the Department welcomes suggestions which might aid in improving

the standards in future revisions. Comments may be submitted to, and cop ies of

standards and grading manuals obtained from:

Chief, Processed Products Branch

Fruit and Vegetable Program s , AMS

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Avenue, SW, STOP 0247

Washington, D.C. 20250United States Standards for Grades of Frozen Okra

______________________________________________________________________________

Section Page No.

§ 52.1511 Product D escription.

................................ ................................ ........................... 2

§ 52.1512 Styles.

................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 2

§ 52.151 3 Definitions of T erms.

................................ ................................ .......................... 2

§ 52.1514 Grades.

................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 7

§ 52.1515 Factors of Q uality.

................................ ................................ .............................. 8

§ 52.1516 Allowances for D efects (Table's I

- V)

................................ ................................ 9

§ 52.1517 Sample S ize.

................................ ................................ ................................ .... 14

§ 52.1518 Qu ality R equirements C riteria.

................................ ................................ ......... 14

Authority: Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Secs. 203, 205, 60 Stat. 1087, as

amended, 1090, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1622, 1624).

Note: Compliance with the provisions of these standards shall not excuse failure to

comply with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or with

applicable State laws and regulations.2 § 52.151 1 Product Description

Fro zen okra is the product prepared from the clean, sound, succulent, and edible

fresh pods of the okra plant (Hibiscus esculentus) of the green variety. The product

may or may not be trimmed, is properly prepared, properly processed, and is then

frozen and stored at temperatures necessary for preservation.

§ 52.1512 Styles

(a) Whole okra consists of whole pods of any length which may possess

an edible portion of the cap. The length of a whole pod is determined

by measuring from the outermost point of the t ip of the pod to the

outermost point of the stem

.

(b) Cut okra is trimmed or untrimmed whole pod s , which may possess

an edible portion of the cap, and have been cut transversely into

pieces of approximate uniform length. The length of a unit of cut okra

is determined by measuring the longitudinal axis of the unit.

§ 52.151 3 Definitions of Terms

(a) Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) means the maximum percentage

of defective units or the maximum number of defects per hundred

units of product that, for the purpose of acceptance sampling, can be

considered satisfactory as a process average.

(b) Appearance

(1) Good appearance means that the units are bright and

practical ly free of insignificant blemishes.3 (2) Reasonably good appearance means that the units may be

slightly dull and are reasonably free of insignificant blemishes.

(c) Blemish

(1) Insignificant blemish means any unit which is so affected by

slight abnormalities, scars, discolorations, or other

imperfections that it may affect the appearance slightly but

do es not affect the edibility of the unit. Insignificant blemish es

are scored u nder appearance.

(2) Minor b lemish means any unit which is so affected by

discoloration or abnormalities that it materially affects the

appearance or edibility of the unit. This includes trimmed or

cut surfaces and pathological or insect injury.

( 3 ) Serious blemish means any unit which is so affected by

discoloration or abnormalities that it seriously affects the

appearance or edibility of the unit. This includ es trimmed or

cut surfaces and pathological or insect injury.

( 4 ) Total blemished means the sum of minor and seriously

blemished units.

(d) Character

(1) Good character (Grade A) means the units are fleshy and

tender and that the seeds are in the early stages of maturity.

(2) Reasonably good character (G rade B) means the units may

have lost their fleshy texture to a considerable extent, the units

are reasonably tender, and the seeds may have developed

beyond the early stages of maturity

.4 (3) Substandard character (Sstd) means the units fail to meet

the requ irements for reasonably good character.

(e) Color Defect

(1) Minor color defect means that the unit possesses a slightly

dull color or slight yellowish green to brownish green cast or

varies ma rked ly from the overall color of the sample

. Minor

color defects do not more than slightly affect the appearance

or eating quality of the unit.

(2) Noticeable yellow or brown color means the unit possesses

a noticeable yellow or brown color that materially affects the

appearance or eating quality o f the unit; but does not qualify

as being "off color"

.

(f) Defect means any nonconformance of a unit of product from a

specified requirement of a single quality characteristic.

(g) Excessively trimmed (whole style) means pods trimmed on both

ends with pod tip removal affecting the overall appearance of the pod,

and pods trimmed such that the longitudinal plane of the seed cavity

is exposed.

(h) Extraneous Vegetable Material (EVM) consists of leaves, similar

harmless plant material, stem extending greater than 1/2 inch beyond

the cap scar, and detached stem of any length.

( i ) Flavor and odor

(1) Good flavor and odor means the product, before and after

cooking, has a good distinctive flavor and odor, characteristic

of young, tender okra, and is free from objectionable flavor s or

objectionable odor s

.5 (2) Reasonably good flavor and odor means the product,

before and a fter cooking, has a reasonably good flavor and

odor, which is characteristic of properly prepared and

processed okra

, and is free from objectionable flavor s or

objectionable odor s

.

( j ) Hard, woody okra material means any piece of pod, stem, or cap

that is hard, brittle, or woody , is highly objectionable, and would

seriously affect the eating quality of the unit

.

( k ) Inedible cap means any cooked unit with attached portions of cap

that are inedible. This material is objectionable; it lacks the

characte ristics of edible cap material and would seriously affect the

eating quality of the unit

.

( l ) Mechanical damage means pods or portions thereof that have been

broken, mashed, split, shattered, or excessively trimmed

, such that it

noticeably affects the appearance or eating quality of the unit. Pods

or portions thereof that have a portion of stem extending from 3/8

inch to not more than 1/2 inch beyond the cap scar.

( m ) Misshapen units are whole pods which are seriously deformed to

the extent that the a ppearance or eating quality of the unit is

noticeably affected

.

( n ) Pathological or insect injury refers to any unit that possesses

obvious pathological or insect damage that noticeably affects the

appearance or eating quality of the unit

.6 ( o ) Sample unit size means the amount of product spe cified to be used

for grading. For appearance, flavor, odor, varietal characteristics, and

the presence of sand, grit, or silt determination

, a sample unit is the

entire contents of the container. For grading all other factors, a

sample unit is 50 unit s each for whole style and 100 units each for cut

style.

It may be:

(1) The entire contents of a container;

(2) A portion of the contents of a container; or

(3) A combination of the contents of two or more containers.

( p ) Small piece

(1) Small piece ( whole style ) means a piece of pod that is one

fourth or less the weight of the smallest whole pod in the

sample unit.

(2) Small piece ( cut style ) means a piece of pod measured on the

longitudinal axis of the unit that is 1/4 inch or less in length.

The small pieces are aggregated to form a unit equal to the

designated size of cut , or the average sized unit from the

sample if no size is pr ovided

. Each aggregated unit is scored

as a defect.

( q ) Stems mean edible or inedible stem

.

( r ) Tolerance means the percentage of defective units allowed for each

quality factor for a specified sample size.

( s ) Tough fiber means any cooked unit that contains tough fibrous

development of the pod material to the extent that the eating quality

of the unit is materially affected.7 ( t ) Unit means an okra pod or any individual portion thereof.

(u) Sand, grit, or silt means any particle of earthy material.

§ 52.151 4 Grades

(a) U.S. Grade A is the quality of frozen okra that:

(1) Meets the following prerequisites in which the okra:

(i) Have similar varietal characteristics;

(ii) Have a good flavor and odor;

(i ii ) Have a good appearance ; and

(iv) Is free of sand, grit, or silt

.

(2) I s within the limits for defects as specified in ' 52.151 6 , as

applicable for the style.

(b) U.S. Grade B is the quality of frozen okra that:

(1) Meets the following prerequisites in which the okra:

(i) Have similar varietal characteristics;

(ii) Have a reasonably good flavor and odor ;

(iii) Have a reasonably good appearance ; and

(iv) May have a trace amount of sand, grit, or silt.

(2) I s within the limits for defects as specified in ' 52.151 6 , as

applicable for the style.

(c) Substandard (Sstd) is the quality of frozen okra that fails the

requirements of U.S. Grade B.8 § 52.151 5 Factors of Quality

The grade of frozen okra is based on requirements for the following quality factors:

(a) Prerequisite Q uality F actors

(1) Varietal characteristics;

(2) Flavor and odor ;

(3) Appearance ; and

(4) Absence of s and , grit, or silt.

(b) Classified Quality Factors

(1) Extraneous vegetable material (EVM);

(2) Seriously b lemished;

(3) Total blemished;

(4) Noticeable yellow or brown units;

(5) Total color defects (Minor & yellow or brown);

(6) Mechanical damage;

( 7 ) Small pieces;

( 8 ) Misshapen (whole style);

( 9 ) Tough fiber including inedible cap;

(10) Hard, woody okra material ;

(1 1 ) "B" Character; and

(12 ) "Sstd" Character

.

.9 § 52.151 6 Allowances for Defects

Table I

Prerequisite Factors for Frozen Okra

_ 1 /

Factors Grade A Grade B

Varietal Characteristics Similar Similar

Flavor and Odor Good Reasonably Good

Appearance Good Reasonably Good

Sand, grit, or silt None Trace

_ 1 / The sample unit size is the entire contents of a container

.Table II

Frozen Okra, Whole Style

Acceptance Numbers for Specified Defects

Grade A (50 plan)

Sample Units X Sample Unit Size 1 x 50 6 x 50 13 x 50 21 x 50 29 x 50

Units of Product 50 2 / 300 650 1050 1450

Quality Factors TOL. AQL 1 / Acceptance Numbers

Extraneous Vegetable Material 4.0 2.9 3 13 26 39 53

Seriously blemished 2.0 1.3 2 7 13 20 26

Total blemished 6.0 4.6 5 20 39 60 80

Noticeable yellow or brown 1.0 0.612 1 4 7 10 14

Total color defects 10.0 8.2 7 33 65 101 137

Mechanical damage

(includes broken, split, mashed &

excessively trimmed pods) 10.0 8.2 7 33 65 101 137

Small pieces and misshapen 5.0 5.0 4 17 33 50 67

Tough fiber

(including inedible caps) 4.0 2.9 3 13 26 39 53

Hard, woody okra material 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"B" Character 10.0 8.2 7 33 65 101 137

“Sstd” Character 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 / AQL calculated from tolerance (TOL) at 650 units.

2 / Unofficial samples10Table III

Frozen Okra, Whole Style

Acceptance Numbers for Specified Defects

Grade B (50 plan)

Sample Units X Sample Unit Size 1 x 50 6 x 50 13 x 50 21 x 50 29 x 50

Units of Product 50 2 / 300 650 1050 1450

Quality F actors TOL. AQL 1 / Acceptance Numbers

Extraneous Vegetable Material 6.0 4.6 5 20 39 60 80

Seriously blemished 4.0 2.9 3 13 26 39 53

Total blemished 12.0 10.1 8 39 78 122 173

Noticeable yellow or brown 6.0 4.6 5 20 39 60 80

Total color defects 20.0 17.6 13 63 130 205 279

Mechanical damage

(includes broken, split, mashed &

excessively trimmed pods) 20.0 17.6 13 63 130 205 279

Small pieces and misshapen 10.0 8.2 7 33 65 101 137

Tough fiber

(including inedible caps) 8.0 6.4 6 26 52 80 108

Hard, woody okra material 1.0 0.612 1 4 7 10 14

“B” Character N/A

-- -- -- -- -- --

"Sstd" Character 10.0 8.2 7 33 65 101 137

1 / AQL calculated from tolerance (TOL) at 650 units.

2 / Unofficial samples11Table IV

Frozen Okra, Cut Style

Acceptance Numbers for Specified Defects

Grade A (100 Plan)

Sample Units X Sample Unit Size 1 x 100 6 x 100 13 x 100 21 x 100 29 x 100

Units of Product 100 2 / 600 1300 2100 2900

Quality Factors TOL. AQL 1 / Acceptance Numbers

Extraneous Vegetable Material 1.0 0.651 2 7 13 20 26

Seriously blemished 2.0 1.47 3 14 26 40 53

Total blemished 6.0 5.0 8 39 78 122 165

Noticeable yellow or brown 1.0 0.651 2 7 13 20 26

Total color defects 10.0 8.7 13 64 130 205 278

Small pieces (includes improperly or

incompletely cut pieces, and

mechanical damage) 12.0 10.6 16 77 157 247 336

Tough fiber

(including inedible caps) 3.2 6 26 52 80 108

Hard, woody okra material 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

“B” Character 10.0 8.7 13 64 130 205 278

“Sstd” Character 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 / AQL calculated from tolerance (TOL) at 1300 units.

2 / Unofficial samples 4.012Table V

Frozen Okra, Cut Style

Acceptance Numbers for Specified Defects

Grade B (100 Plan)

Sample Units X Sample Unit Size 1 x 100 6 x 100 13 x 100 21 x 100 29 x 100

Units of Product 100 2 / 600 1300 2100 2900

Quality Factors TOL. AQL 1 / Acceptance Numbers

Extraneous Vegetable Material 2.0 1.47 3 14 26 40 53

Seriously blemished 4.0 3.2 6 26 52 80 108

Total blemished 12.0 10.6 16 77 157 247 336

Noticeable yellow or brown 6.0 5.0 8 39 78 122 165

Total color defects 20.0 18.3 25 127 263 417 569

Small pieces (includes improperly or

incompletely cut pieces, and

mechanical damage) 20.0 18.3 25 127 263 417 569

Tough fiber

(including inedible caps) 8.0 6.8 11 51 104 162 220

Hard, woody okra material 1.0 0.651 2 7 13 20 26

"B" Character N/A

-- -- -- -- -- --

"Sstd" Character 10.0 8.7 13 64 130 205 278

1 / AQL calculated from tolerance (TOL) at 1300 units.

2 / Unofficial samples1314 § 52.151 7 Sample Size

The sample size used to determine whether the requirements of these standards

are met shall be as specified in the sampling plans and procedures in the

"Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification of Processed Fruits and

Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Certain Other Processed Food

Products" (7 CFR 52.1 through 52.83).

§ 52.151 8 Quality Requirements Criteria

(a) Lot i nspection. A lot of frozen okra is considered as meeting the

requirements for quality if:

(1) The prerequisite requirements specified in ' 52.1516

Table I are met; and

(2) The Acceptable Quality Levels in Tables II, III, IV, and V of

' 52.151 6 , as applicable for the style, are not exceeded

.

(b) Single sample unit. Each unofficial sample unit submitted for quality

evaluation will be treated individually and is considered as meeting

the requirements for quality if:

(1) The prerequi site requirements specified in ' 52.1516

Table I are met; and

(2) The Acceptable Quality Levels in Tables II, III, IV, and V of

' 52.151 6 , as applicable for the style, are not exceeded

.15 Dated:

/s/____________________

Administrator

Agricultural Marketing ServiceAMS:FV:PPB:BEGriffin:690

- 0441: 02

- 20

- 0 9

\ \ Swashfv0726b \ f \ USR \ GriffinB \ Okra \ OKRASTD(PROPOSED)07

- 18

- 08a.docx